The lobster roll sensation of the summer of 2017 is in a bit of a pinch.

Swilly's, a waterside seaside stand will not reopen at 4135 Mill St. in Pultneyville. The Owl House, which occupied the upstairs dining room in the former home to the Pultneyville Grill, also will not reopen.

Jeff Ching, owner of The Owl House and one of the Swilly's partners, said they could not come to an agreement for the lease at The Landing at Pultneyville, which sits on Salmon Creek, an inlet that leads to Lake Ontario.

Swilly's, a spinoff of Playhouse/Swillburger in Rochester, opened in July and was an immediate hit, often met with lines when it opened its patio-side window on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The staff initially struggled to keep up with demand, so it set up a lobster hotline to enable customers to check on the availability of lobster rolls before they made the 30-minute trip to Pultneyville.

“It is much more successful than we anticipated," Brian Van Etten, Swilly's co-owner, said last summer. "It is what we hoped for, but we didn’t expect it.”

Opening The Owl House was a longer process, requiring securing a liquor license and updating the dining room. As a result, it didn't open until August, and then it found that the formula that made it a beloved institution at 75 Marshall St. needed tweaking to play well in Pultneyville.

While The Owl House is going to focus on its Marshall Street location as well as its catering operation, there are hopes that Swilly's may reopen in another spot.

Van Etten and Ching said they are on the hunt for another location that offers the laid-back Cape Cod vibe that made the Pultneyville location so attractive.

The Owl House and Swilly's are in the rear part of The Landing at Pultneyville, 4135 Mill St. in Pultneyville. The Owl House is upstairs and offers waterside seating as well.
Tracy Schuhmacher/@RahChaChow/staff photographer